Carnivore
by Ist Es Immer
Summary: Ardyn gets into his head, and Noctis made a critical mistake when he faced Odin. For the consequences he is casted away from friends, cursed by the Gods, and only Ardyn as his only companion.
1. Promises

It all started when Ardyn tricked Noctis into pushing Prompto off the train. The guilt ate at his heart as time went on. Not even the talk with one of Luna's former maids made him feel any better.

In fact it made him feel worse.

The guilt of not being able to save or protect Luna was still fresh on his mind. And having to wake up and see Ignis' consequences for borrowing the power of the ring hit him hard, still. The combination of these wounds ate at the prince's heart and sanity.

 _"How unfair it all is, isn't it?"_

"Get out of my head..." Noctis shook, doing his best to ignore the baritone voice, and failing. How was it that Ardyn can get under his skin so easily?

 _"It is so unfair of you to sacrifice everything you love. Why don't you give up?"_

"No! I have to keep going..." Noctis hissed, breathing irregular as he forced himself to continue. He was almost at the top of the tower. He was injured from the previous fight, and he had run out of potions. He held one hand over the bleeding wound, staggering as his head swam.

 _"You don't sound so confident, Noct. Why don't you just give up? Allow me to take care of you."_

"Not a chance, old man." Noctis scowled. "And I can't give up."

 _"Just surrender to me. I promise to take good care of you."_

"Tch. As if." The prince scoffed in disgust. He had some of his spirit left, at least.

 _"I never go back on my word."_

And Noctis knew it. The man had shown in the past he kept his word. But then he remembered watching helplessly as Ardyn stabbed Luna, ultimately the cause of her death. And once again the anger in his heart flared once more. However, this time it was different.

 _"I will treat you like a king. Everyone else treats you like a prince, a child. Even your own friends."_

He was right. Noctis did often felt this way. But he had to remember that this wasn't just about him. The rest of the world relied on upon him to bring back the sun.

 _"And they would forget all too quickly of their gratitude of your sacrifice."_

He could still feel the exhaustion taking over his body. And the longer he awknowledged Ardyn the more tempting his promises became. Why was this man tormenting him with sweet promises after all he had done to him?

 _"Because, Noct, I do care. Let me take care of you. All you have to do is surrender."_

Noctis approached a corridor that was strangely narrow. He growled to himself as he bolted into a run. Laughter echoed all around, then he heard a spring and suddenly Noctis was trapped. He whirled around to see sharp weapons cone out of the floor and walls both directions heading his way.

"So much for all that talk about taking care of me, Ardyn!" Noctis yelled, feeling the anger rising.

 _"Oh, my. And here I thought we were getting along splendidly."_ Ardyn clicked his tongue. _"Besides, I figured a little more pressure would do just the trick."_

Noctis could feel the anger build up inside of him. It was building up like a volcano about to erupt.

 _"You know what you have to do, Noctis."_

It took him a few seconds to register. The prince growled as his emotions flared. He didn't even realize his eyes glowed a bright purple and pink hue of magic flowed through his veins. And with a burst of magic flames engulfed the corridor. Somehow Noctis broke through the spell Ardyn had put on him to weaken him.

It didn't last long, though. Soon as the flames reached out they turned into smoke. The magic had barely scorched his surroundings. The spur of magic had drained much of his energy and Noctis leaned against the wall.

He watched as the weapons came ever closer to slice him into pieces.

 _"Tick, tock. Tick, tock. You only have one choice, sweet king."_

"Ardyn..." Noctis whispered, close to breaking.

"Noct! Hang in there!" A familiar voice snapped the prince out of it.

"Iggy? Gladio?" Noctis' vision was swimming again.

"Quick! There has to be a switch somewhere!" Gladio panicked.

"Let me see..." Ignis said, and a click resonated around them. "Aha! That did the trick." The weapons stopped and went back inside the walls and floor.

Within seconds Gladio was holding Noctis up. Ignis was close behind with a few potions to hand over to the exhausted prince. Noctis gratefully drank them down.

"You look like shit." Gladio frowned, noticing how the shorter young man was still leaning on him for support.

"I feel like I've been crushed by Titan." Noctis admitted. He earned a short chuckle from Gladio. In response there was the faintest smirk from Noctis.

"Whenever you're ready, Noct. If we have to rest, then let's find a better place to recuperate." Ignis was just as concerned.

"No... No I can keep going." Noctis pulled away from the knight. He stumbled a step, but quickly regained his composure.

"Don't push yourself til you're dead, man." Gladio started. Before he could finish the prince interrupted him.

"I can do this!" Noctis snapped, glaring at the other. His eyes glowed again, and Gladio almost flinched. The prince was rather intimidating when he was like that.

"Okay, you can do this." Gladio held his hands up, then muttered under his breath. "You didn't have to snap, you know."

"Sorry... It feels like I just walked through hell before you guys caught up."

"It was Ardyn, wasn't it?" Ignis inquired.

"Let's just go." Noctis lead the way, ignoring the question entirely. It was answer enough for his friends.

A short while later they found Prompto. Seeing him hung up like that added to the guilt already building up inside of Noctis. He was beginning to wish for an end to all this madness all the more quicker.

 _It's all my fault._

"Don't go blaming yourself, buddy." Prompto flashed a grin. But to Noctis it was more of a mask to make him feel better. "I probably would have done the same thing."

Noctis didn't respond. His head was swimming again. By the time they made it to a room full of beds Noctis couldn't even make it to the mattress before he collapsed from exhaustion. The last thing he remembered was the panic in his friends as darkness overtook him.

When he woke up all three were surrounding him. They were like silent guardians. Gladio was frowning, Ignis was overly concerned and Prompto had guilt written all over his face. Noctis sat up, wincing at the soreness all over his body.

"Noct, what did Ardyn do to you?" Ignis questioned.

"... I can't use my powers. I can only use my father's sword and one or two spells through the ring. But I feel better, now."

"Bro, you still look like a truck ran you over." Prompto bit his lip.

"I still feel like I was crushed over by Titan."

"Yeah, and what was that about when you snapped at me back there?" Gladio pressed the issue.

"Nothing. Ardyn was trying to get into my head before you guys showed up." Noctis wasn't going to admit that he almost did surrender to the elder man.

It scared him knowing he was that close and ready to give up. And after what that man had done. Noctis was still ready to make a deal with him just to bring an end to his suffering.

"He's not trying right now, is he?" Ignis asked.

"No. It's just me and my head again."

"Good. Then you should be better off fighting this time around. Let's get going." Gladio was eager to face the elder man.

"Yeah. Let's." Noctis nodded.

Later, he had gone ahead of his friends. Once again he was alone with Ardyn inside his head as he stared at the crystal. He could sense the magic eminating from it, calling out to him. It was beautiful yet terrifying with the amount of power it held.

 _"Why won't you surrender? What is there left for you to fight for? Just accept the losses, Noct."_

"I can't! If it weren't for their sacrifices, I wouldn't be here!" Noctis shook his head violently.

 _"And I have sacrificed much more selflessly. Tell me, Noct, are your actions the actions of a selfless man, or a selfish man?"_

"What are you getting at?" Noctis growled, sensing a threat. Behind him he glanced to see Ardyn emerging from shadows of smoke.

"Just enter inside the crystal, and you'll know what I mean." Ardyn's voice was alarmingly persuasive.

Noctis glanced up at the crystal. The temptation eating away at him.

"I know you want to." When did Ardyn stand right behind him? The elder had whispered his luring words into the prince's ear.

Noctis twitched, trying to shake off the shiver going down his back.

"Remember my promise. I'll take good care of you, sweet king."

Noctis was angry again. And so without hesitation he stepped inside the crystal and allowed it to fully engulf him, putting him into a deep sleep. Outside he could hear Ardyn's laughter, followed by the panic of his friends. Noctis didn't have time to panic when he fell asleep.

He was face to face with Odin. Odin explained a great deal of his purpose. And yet the God still gave him the choice.

"I will give you time to think about it."

Noctis thought. He thought long and hard. He thought of every person he met through his journey. All the places. His mind wandered to his friends, Luna and Ardyn the most. Over and over he tried to forget what the man had said, but he couldn't.

Then he felt the guilt that had been eating away at his heart turn into fury. Ardyn had a point, in some cases. Why _did_ he have to be the one to die? Aside from his friends, there wasn't much left for him to protect. On top of it all he was done with the expectations. No one will remember after a certain amount of time of his sacrifice in the end. It wss time he took control of his own destiny.

This had nothing to do with the new nickname that made him blush.

"I refuse to accept your bargain."

"Then you shall be rejected from us. You will return to the world of the living, and there you shall live in pain and sorrow for eternity."

 _What?_

What did that mean? Noctis couldn't voice his questions. He was violently being sent back in a blink of an eye. Just like that, he was standing on the docks the same moment the sun rose for the first time in six months over the horizon.


	2. Betrayed

Noctis berated himself silently. He had forgotten about the chocobo whistle in his pocket, when he had spent hours trying to hitchhike his way to Hammerhead. When he was about to give up, the idea popped into his head to give the whistle a try.

He was relieved to hear the soft coo of his companion. Noctis lifted a leg over the white bird, turned them to the direction of Hammerhead, then sprinted off. While he missed the Regalia and all her glory, he was grateful to have his chocobo at least.

When he arrived he was greeted with surprise and awe.

"Prince! Is that you?" Cindy called out.

"Yeah. I'm back." He waved with a smile. It was good to see a familiar face. For a moment his eyes studied the tall fence surrounding the parimeter of Hammerhead.

"What's with the new decoration?"

"You worry about that later. Why don't you get some grub while I call them boys for you. I can't wait to give them the news!" She disappeared in her excitement.

He couldn't argue with that logic. Noctis said his farewell to Stella, giving her a few greens for the run, then made his way to the diner. He hadn't realized until Cindy mentioned food that his stomach was growling.

As he ate he was caught up to date of the events since he was gone. Noctis had been gone for six months; and a lot happened during those months. His friends had split up to different corners of the world in order to help the people escape from the daemons. Since there was no sun they ran rampant.

The biggest cities held refuge, having power to ward off the daemons with their electricity. As far as anyone knew, Ardyn held Insomnia all to himself with a horde of daemons under his command. No one dared to venture into his home city. But now there was hope now that the dawn had finally risen, with the return of the king.

At the title Noctis felt uncomfortable. He didn't know why he felt so nervous, and so after he finished his meal he accepted a few hunts to keep himself busy. By the sound of it, his friends would take a day or two in order to come back for him.

 _And then do what?_ Noctis wondered to himself. He had refused to sacrifice himself in order to finish off Ardyn. And he found it unlikely the elder man would give up Insomnia so easily just because the dawn came.

And while he did feel guilty for his answer, a large part of him was relieved. The weight of the world wasn't as heavy on his shoulders. On the plus side, the sun did rise anyway. Noctis felt that was good in his book.

He didn't return to Hammerhead for a few days. Noctis had a safe number of hunts he could handle by himself. He camped under the stars, wishing his friends were there with him. On day three he finally got his wish.

Noctis heard the distant calls of chocobos in the distance. He stopped to listen more closely. Then he heard the trampling of their feet coming closer. He could barely contain his excitement as he rounded a large boulder, only to roll out of the path of one of the birds.

"Whoa!" Prompto exclaimed as the bird spooked and nearly tripped in its rush to stop. The magenta chocobo warked irritably, and the other two birds swerved to avoid it before coming to a stop.

"How quint of you to put yourself in danger, Noct." Ignis stated as he dismounted the green chocobo.

"I got the skills to move out of the way, didn't I?" Noctis rebuttled, flashing a grin.

"It's an improvement, at least." Gladio joked.

Prompto jumped off his bird and rushed to embrace Noctis tightly. The dark haired man nearly stumbled from the impact. However he was laughing as he hugged the blond back just as tight. Within seconds the four of them were in a group hug.

"Welcome back, Noct."

He never felt so much more at home then at that moment.

The merriment of their reunion was cut short when suddenly the air turned into a crisp, and the ground around them was covered in a light layer of ice. The group looked around nervously. They all knew what this meant.

She appeared out of nowhere, spooking them. It was Prompto who saw her first, and soon as he did he was taken aback. The others followed his gaze. Shiva floated her way towards them in her true form. With her the air was colder, so cold their souls could feel it. Noctis doubled over as pain all through his body almost had him to his knees.

"Noct, you okay, buddy?"

"Yeah... I'm f-fine." He stuttered, arms wrapped around his middle to warm his core.

A hand was at his lower back, and another was at his shoulder. After a few shuddering breaths Noctis straightened up to face her. He frowned upon seeing the disapproving look on her face.

"You were the prophesized king. Why did you refuse Odin?" Shiva went straight to the point.

"What's she talking about?" Gladio didn't like the sound of this.

Noctis bit his lip. Honestly he wasn't sure how to answer. He only wanted to take the reins of his own destiny. Odin had given him the choice. What was the harm of refusing? The sun still came back, either way.

"Why should I sacrifice myself in order to end him? There must be another way to finish Ardyn off." Noctis addressed Shiva first, never breaking eye contact from her.

"There is no other way. The prophesized king is supposed to be selfless. I had hoped you showed us all that you were ready. Instead you made the same choice as Ardyn, and now you must suffer the same punishment as him. This light is only temporary. You only bought us more time to search for another king."

The pain intensified then. Noctis screamed this time as he was reduced to his knees, writhing. He realized then that the Starscourge had infected him entirely. Without intention his anger flared, and like once before his magic reacted. The explosion of flames sent his friends back by several feet. Meanwhile Shiva dodged and disappeared, believing that he had attacked her out of spite.

Soon as she was gone the dizziness left him. The pain subsided only enough for him to gather his senses. Noctis glanced up to see his friends staring at him with a mix of shock, betrayal and sadness. Worst of all there was hate.

"You let him get into your head, didn't you!?" Gladio accused.

"I..." Noctis' throat tightened. He couldn't form words anymore. The realization of what he had done hit him hard, harder than the power of the Titan crushing him if he had been summoned at that very second to fight him. He felt himself drowning deeper than the depths of Leviathan's oceans.

Noctis had failed upholding his promise to Luna.

"I'm sorry..." He whimpered, apologizing both to his betrothed and his friends.

"Sorry doesn't cover what you have done!"

"Hey, man, calm down. We all make mistakes." Prompto glared at the Shield.

"This isn't some little mistake we can just put a band aid over and forget about! Didn't you hear what she said? This is only temporary! Who knows how long we have until the darkness comes again! More lives will be lost because of his choice."

"Even so, he is still our king." Ignis reprimanded, but his choice of words only fueled Gladio's temper.

He rushed weapon drawn at Noctis. The attack happened so sudden that Noctis couldn't respond fast enough to dodge. He screamed as the blade made contact, going from his hip and up his chest to end at the opposite shoulder. The force of the attack sent the king flying. He landed on his side some feet away, then quickly he was on his feet and on the run.

Behind him he heard yelling, but he couldn't stop and face them any longer for what he had done. Maybe he shouldn't feel so hurt by their betrayal, for it was his consequence for his choice. Once he heard the sound of a gun ring in the air he reached for his whistle and blew.

Stella came running to his side. He didn't give her time to stop. Noctis ran beside her then pulled himself up on the saddle. With one hand holding the reins he urged the bird into a full sprint, heading whichever direction that was away from his former friends.

One bird tried to race after him. But Noctis' bird was the fastest out of the four. All he had to do was outrun the tailing chocobo long enough to tire it out. Once he was in the clear, Noctis figured out where his first destination should be now that he was on the run.

He never stopped to pick up potions. Noctis avoided Hammerhead entirely as he followed the road into Insomnia. This was only the first day since the dawn came, and he doubted anyone was brave enough to return to the ruined city just yet.

He didn't know what to do once he confronted Ardyn. Either attack or collapse in the hope that Ardyn was the last person he could turn to, it all depended on his energy once he got there. His anger of everything that had happened fueled his determination to reach Insomnia as fast as possible, so once he arrived at the outskirts he was already exhausted.

Stella refused to go any further. Both of them were out of breath at this point. Even so Noctis slipped off. He stumbled his way through the city, finding it eerily quiet. It was a strange experience to walk through what was once a thriving and buzzing city. It was now an empty shell of a great empire.

 _I'm a king of nothing._ Noctis bitterly thought.

He found Ardyn on the throne.

"I see you made your choice." Ardyn said offhandedly.

Without a second thought Noctis warped to be in front of the red head, weapon drawn at his throat. Ardyn openly laughed in response. He hadn't realized Noctis was bleeding until the younger king collapsed, weapon dispersing into thin air. Ardyn felt something wet and sticky stain his clothes, then his face changed.

"What happened to you, sweet king?"

He studied Noctis, noticing how pale he was. Paler than normal. He was also shaking, breathing irregular as if he were going into shock. Ardyn turned the younger king over and found the source. A gash from his left hip crossing the chest and ended at his right shoulder. The dark shirt and leather jacket torn.

"Ah. I see. You don't have to explain." There was darkness whisping off the wound from the Starscourge. Ardyn raised a hand to the center of the wound, just over the upper stomach and the heart.

Noctis hissed in pain as the magic filled him. It was dark magic, but all the same it was healing him.

"You remembered my promise. Now let me take care of you."

"I still want to hurt you. You tricked me." Noctis snarled.

"No, sweet king. I merely showed you who you really are inside. Now you can be true to yourself and the rest of the world. Isn't it enlightening to have all that weight off your shoulders?"

In a sense, he was right. Noctis wasn't going to admit it out loud though.

"Now sleep, sweet king. The next time you awaken, you'll be safe. This I promise you." Ardyn whispered, his voice thick as he casted sleep.

Noctis couldn't even fight the spell as much as he wanted to.


End file.
